1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a harvesting machine and, more particularly, to a vacuuming machine in conjunction with a conventional harvester for increasing the yield from a field.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Relatively efficient machines have been designed and built for use on the front, side or rear of a tractor for extracting as much beans or grain (nuts, cotton and the like) from every planted acre as is possible. Unfortunately, the machines were designed with certain growth and orientation of the plants in mind. That is, the stalks or stems must be reasonably straight with the beans or grain, etc. at a certain height above the ground. Also entering into the picture is the dryness or wetness of the plants, for if the plants are dry, the slightest bump or sudden shaking will pop the pods and scatter the contents onto the ground. If the grain stalks are angled or if the beans or grain are close to the ground, the harvester will knock them off leaving the beans or grain on the ground.
Certain equipment has been provided in the past for the suctioning up of nuts. Also, in the cotton-picking area, a harvester has been designed which first picks as many bolls as is feasible and then a suctioning device is provided for picking the rest of the cotton including that which has been knocked to the ground.
None of these prior art devices were very effective or efficient especially when applied to soybean or grain harvesting where the dropped beans or grain are more randomly scattered, are lighter and smaller than nuts and are heavier and smaller than bolls of cotton.